Oscar Season has arrived, and yet again there will be no host. With the 92nd Academy Awards taking place tomorrow night, it seems appropriate to make picks and predictions for who will take home what award. We have a long list of nominees so let’s get started.
Best Picture
Nominees:
1917
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
The Irishman
Little Women
Jojo Rabbit
Marriage Story
Pick: 1917
This is always a loaded category, and this year the trend continues. The technicality of shooting 1917, and how Sam Mendes and Roger Deakins pulled it off as a big reason why they will win this award. The only other main competition could be the Irishman due to the “de-aging” techniques used on De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci. Ultimately, 1917 takes home the trophy on this one though.
Best Actor
Nominees:
Johnathan Pryce (The Two Popes)
Adam Driver (Marriage Story)
Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory)
Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Pick: Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
It's really difficult to pick a winner out of these nominees. Everyone in this category gave great performances, which is of course why they were nominated in the first place. In this situation, it comes down to Adam Driver (Marriage Story) and Joaquin Phoenix (Joker). Both of these performances are fantastic, but I think Phoenix barely beats Driver and takes home the award. If this happens, it will be the second time that an actor will have won an Oscar for playing the Joker character. The late Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor in the 2009 Oscar for his role in The Dark Knight.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees:
Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes)
Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Joe Pesci (The Irishman)
Al Pacino (The Irishman)
Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)
Pick: Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt is a fantastic actor. Granted, he’s good at playing the same character every time, but still, he’s entertaining. Pitt has had many iconic roles and won prestigious accolades, but one thing he hasn’t won is an Oscar for his acting. He has in fact won for being a producer on Best Picture winner 12 Years A Slave, but as for acting, Pitt hasn’t been able to win. I think because of this, it’s Pitt’s year to take home his first academy award.
Best Actress
Nominees:
Charlize Theron (Bombshell)
Renée Zellweger (Judy)
Cynthia Erivo (Harriet)
Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)
Saoirse Ronan (Little Women)
Pick: Renée Zellweger
Contrary to the first few categories, I think the Best Actress category is a little weak this year. Renée Zellweger seems like the clear cut favorite to win for her role as Judy Garland. Zellweger completely transformed herself into one of the most talked about roles of the year. If she doesn’t win for this category, I’d be very surprised, but crazier things have happened.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees:
Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell)
Margot Robbie (Bombshell)
Scarlett Johnasson (Jojo Rabbit)
Florence Pugh (Little Women)
Laura Dern (Marriage Story)
Pick: Laura Dern
This category could go multiple ways. I could see a few of these actresses win here, specifically Florence Pugh (Little Women) or Margot Robbie (Bombshell), but I think Laura Dern has the best shot. Another actress who has never won an Oscar, I think Dern’s role in Marriage Story has gotten a lot of buzz, especially when the movie came out in November. Dern has been nominated two previous times for her roles in Wild (Best Supporting Actress) and Rambling Rose (Best Actress). The third time’s a charm here as Dern will take home her first Oscar.
Best Director
Nominees:
Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Todd Phillips (Joker)
Bong Joon-Ho (Parasite)
Martin Scorcesse (The Irishman)
Sam Mendes (1917)
Pick: Sam Mendes
I’ve been going back and forth with this one. First I was thinking of Tarantino, because how could you not. He’s one of the best filmmakers of all time. Then, the buzz of Parasite and Bong Joon-Ho spread around the movie reviewing community, which was totally warranted.
Finally, I decided to stop being indecisive and go with my gut and picked Sam Mendes for 1917. This was the best movie I had seen in a while for multiple reasons, most of which I go in depth on in my movie review post. I just think what Mendes was able to do here was so special. He transports the viewer into a world that feels real, that was real. That’s why he will win Best Director.
Best Original Music Score
Nominees:
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (John Williams)
1917 (Thomas Newman)
Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir)
Little Women (Alexandre Desplat)
Marriage Story (Randy Newman)
Pick: John Williams
Being a fan of music and soundtracks, most of these movies scores didn’t really impress me that much. Not that they were bad by any stretch, they just really didn't stand out to me. What did impress me was how an 88-year-old man could still be making fantastic music. My pick here is for John Williams to take home his sixth Oscar as he will win Best Score.
Best Original Screenplay
Nominees:
Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story)
Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Han Jin-won (Parasite)
Bong Joon-ho (Parasite)
Rian Johnson (Knives Out)
Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917)
Sam Mendes (1917)
Pick: Rian Johnson
This may be a dark horse pick, but I really like what Rian Johnson did here with Knives Out. I think this really surprised people after the reactions to his previous film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I love the way this movie was written, the characters, the humor, the dialogue. Everything hits for me on this.
I think Noah Baumbach could also win for Marriage Story, but for me, I’m going to be bold and choose Rian Johnson.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominees:
Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit)
Greta Gerwig (Little Women)
Steve Zaillian (The Irishman)
Todd Phillips (Joker)
Anthony McCarten (The Two Popes)
Pick: Taika Waititi
I could have easily gone with Todd Phillips for Joker, and while I really enjoyed that film, I enjoyed Jojo Rabbit even more. The combination of heart in humor is palpable in this film. Taika Waititi knocks it out of the park again as he seamlessly tells a story that is important but isn’t afraid to take itself too seriously.
Best Cinematography
Nominees:
Robert Richardson (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Rodrigo Prieto (The Irishman)
Roger Deakins (1917)
Jarin Blaschke (The Lighthouse)
Lawrence Sher (Joker)
Pick: Roger Deakins
At first glance, one would say that Deakins should clearly win this category, and while I’d tend to agree, I don’t think it’s that cut and dry. Jarin Blaschke (The Lighthouse) and Robert Richardson (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), also did fantastic jobs with their respective films.
I think what puts Deakins over the edge is his collaboration with director Sam Mendes. The work they did to create the “one-shot” effect and all the gritty and grimy shots of the battlefield also factor into why Deakins is so good at his job, and also why he will win his second Oscar.
Best Visual Effects
Nominees:
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Avengers: Endgame
1917
The Lion King
The Irishman
Pick: The Lion King
What Jon Favreau and his team were able to do was more than impressive. To create that realistic Animal Planet/Documentary look and feel vibe in The Lion King was a brilliant idea. I think his work on The Jungle Book (2016) certainly helped Favreau and his team refine their craft in visual effects department. All of these movies were impressive, but to me, Lion King stands apart from the rest.
There you have it. Hopefully my picks are somewhat close, but we’ll see.
Regardless, tomorrow is a celebration of films we love and appreciate, and for all the other movies that came out this past year whether they were nominated or not, I want to say thank you to all the directors, actors, and crew for your work, because your dedication and efforts have inspired so many to create a new generation of cinema that will carry on for years to come.
Please feel free to leave a like, or comment down below and let me know what your picks were! Thanks for reading!